


Happy Birthday to Me

by JoMouse



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Children, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 16:20:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7899619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam has to work late on his birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Birthday to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings!
> 
> Just a little bit of domestic fluff I wrote to celebrate Liam's birthday. A little gift for all of you. Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.

Liam checked his watch as he tapped his fingers on the wheel. He’d been stuck in traffic for the past two hours, not exactly how he’d been planning to spend his day. He’d hoped that the meeting earlier wouldn’t last long. He’d wanted to leave the office at lunch, hurrying home to get ready for whatever was planned for the evening.

Instead, the meeting had lasted for hours. They’d ordered in food, first for lunch, then again for dinner. Finally, the meeting had ended at around eight o’clock, not because anything had been resolved, but because the intern started dozing off at the table. Liam had texted Zayn as he was leaving the office, receiving back:  _ Drive carefully. Love you. Happy birthday. xx _

Liam had texted Zayn twice while stopped in traffic before finally calling him. Zayn answered the song singing  _ Happy Birthday _ , bringing a smile to Liam’s face for the first time in hours. “On a normal day, I’d be five minutes away,” he said into the phone.

Zayn hummed. “I heard there was a massive accident,” he said. “Just get home safe, yeah? So we can celebrate.” Zayn’s yawn was unmistakeable, although Liam knew he was trying to hide it. 

“If I’m much later, just go to bed. We’re already getting together with the boys this weekend.”

“S’not the same, babe,” Zayn muttered. “Gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” Liam said, his smile still wide as he hung up the phone, tossing it into the seat next to him.

It was almost eleven by the time he pulled into the drive. Liam stretched after exiting the car, giving a groan as his back popped. Walking up to the door, he noted the porch light was left on, as well as the one in the kitchen. Tossing his keys in the bowl on the table in the foyer, he walked through into the kitchen, smiling at the note stuck to the microwave.

Following the instructions he reheated the plate of spaghetti bolognese while sorting through the mail that was stacked on the island. He opened the birthday card from his parents, sliding the check into his wallet before displaying the card with the others set up on the shelf between the kitchen and sitting room. 

He grabbed his plate when the microwave dinged, settling on a stool pushed up to the island. While he ate, his mind began running in the silence as he thought about turning thirty. He was amazed that he’d hit this milestone, remembering thinking when he was a kid that it was so old.

He’d been dreading this birthday, not accepting it as well as Zayn had when he’d turned thirty in January. When he was a child, birthdays were a reason to celebrate, dinners out with the family, long wish lists that never got filled, but he was still thrilled when he got anything that had been on them. Now, he was happy to just forget he was having a birthday at all. His wish lists, if he made one at all, was considerably shorter and, usually, filled with non-materialistic things.

Finishing his food, he stood to rinse the plate before loading it in the dishwasher, chuckling as he rearranged the dishes already in there to make room. Once he was done, he made a mental note to run the washer in the morning when everyone was awake. Pulling open the fridge, he bit his lip around a smile as his eyes fell on the cake, knowing exactly who had decorated the multi-coloured mess. Grabbing a water bottle, he unscrewed the cap, drinking from the bottle as he moved through the house turning off the lights.

He moved into the dining room, a gasp escaping as his eyes fell on the banner hanging behind his chair at the end of the table.  _ Happy Birthday, Papa!  _ painted in bright colours, surrounded by dozens of handprints in different sizes and colours. He approached it slowly, touching a handprint of each size, whispering the name of the child it belonged to before laying his over one of the largest handprints. “Zayn,” he whispered.

“‘Bout time you got home, babe,” the creator of the handprint said from behind him.

Liam glanced over his shoulder. “You lot were busy today. Were they upset?”

Zayn approached, wrapping his arms around Liam’s waist to bury his face between Liam’s shoulders. “A bit, but they’ll be thrilled to have Papa home all weekend. You still have it off, yeah?”

“Definitely,” Liam said, smiling and letting out a long breath, feeling his muscles loosen for the first time in hours.

“Sorry it was such a shit birthday for ya,” Zayn said, moving away but taking Liam’s hand to lead him up the stairs. 

“I’ve had better, but it is what it is,” Liam responded, tugging Zayn to a halt in front of a slightly open door. Pushing gently, the door opened more, light spilling in from the hallway to reveal a set of bunk beds and a single bed, a sleeping boy in each one. Zayn waiting while Liam crept into the room to press a kiss to each forehead before returning to his side.

They walked together into their room, Liam pulling his tie off and tossing it onto the dresser before shrugging out of his jacket. It wasn’t long until he was stripped down to his pants. He noticed Zayn sitting up on the bed, mouth stretched around a yawn. Liam crawled up the bed to lie next to him, smiling when Zayn pressed a kiss to his lips. “Didn’t even get a proper gift,” he whispered.

Liam shrugged, smiling when he heard three sets of feet in the hallway. Holding a finger to his lips, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep. Within moments, three small bodies were scrambling over him and Zayn, cuddling into Liam and shouting birthday greetings. 

It took a bit of time for the boys to settle down, but once they did, all five of them crushed together into the king size bed, Liam looked over at his already sleeping husband. “Couldn’t ask for better presents than you four,” he whispered. Closing his eyes, he sighed out, “Happy birthday to me.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to come talk to me on Twitter or tumblr. I really love meeting new people!


End file.
